This fact sheet summarizes the Unresolved Foreclosures: Patterns of Zombie Properties in Cook County report, which examines the extent to which mortgage servicers are filing for foreclosure and then not pursuing the case to resolution in different types of communities in Cook County, Illinois. The report defines a zombie property as a property with a foreclosure filing that has not been resolved for more than three years. Because neither the borrower nor the servicer has clear control of the property, neither has an incentive to assume responsibility for the property. Zombie properties, therefore, are likely to threaten neighborhood stability by being poorly maintained or blighted, especially in lower-income neighborhoods, The report concludes with recommendations to reduce the negative impact of zombie properties on communities in Cook County.